ElisaBell Tagged Articles at Cinematical
Retro Cinema: Vegas Vacation
Filed under: Comedy », Warner Brothers », Fandom », Scripts », Family Films », Home Entertainment », Remakes and Sequels », Summer Movies », Retro Cinema »
You guys are growing up so fast, I hardly recognize you anymore!
-- Clark W. Griswold (Chevy Chase)
Before the Griswolds head out on yet another vacation, Clark speaks these words to his children, a sly (for this movie, anyway) jab at the fact that the Griswold kids have been played by four different sets of actors in four different films. He might as well have been speaking for the series itself. Watching this movie again for the first time since its theatrical release, I hardly recognize Vegas Vacation as a Vacation film. If European Vacation was a disappointment, Vegas Vacation is a crying shame -- a sad, laughless cash-in devoid of wit, charm, and signs that anyone is doing anything more than grabbing a paycheck. It's the kind of bad that casts a negative light on the good Vacation films that came before. In short, it sucks.
I still remember the day I went to see Vegas Vacation. At this time I had seen the trilogy (particularly the first and third entries) countless times, but Vegas would be the first I saw in a theater. I am not ashamed to say I was excited. Within about five minutes, I was slumped in my seat and was checking my watch. Why do the makers of movie franchises do this? If you've got a beloved property on your hands, why not put a little care into making each installment work? Just a little! It's not like they didn't have time; Vegas Vacation was released eight years after Christmas. Why sign off on such a lazy, unfunny script?
Goldie Hawn Wants to Save Christmas
Filed under: Comedy », Casting », Deals », Scripts », Fox Searchlight », Religious »
It might seem surprising that Oscar Winner Goldie Hawn (almost 40 years ago, but still!) is returning to the big screen, or gearing up to, but she does like her short hiatuses. It worked for her after Death Becomes Her, which she followed up four years later with The First Wives Club, but can she still do it? Goldie's last flick was The Banger Sisters in 2002, where she tried to spice up the life of her ex-groupie friend played by Susan Sarandon. Now, after her longest break from film, she wants to star in an upcoming Christmas comedy called The Rosenbergs Save Christmas.According to Variety, Fox Searchlight has optioned the spec script from Elisa Bell (Little Black Book) and Jeff Kline, and it is being prepped as a potential starring vehicle for the actress. The movie will deal with a couple from different religious backgrounds that get engaged, and then: "When his family is forced to host Christmas, the two mothers' personalities collide." Let me go out on a limb and say that the two families clash over their religious differences, maybe having some Meet the Parents sort of wackiness, and then learn a lesson about acceptance when, in line with the title, the Jewish family saves the Christian day. I'll go out on a further limb and say that Goldie will play some eternal wild child sort of Mom. I'm not sold so far, but maybe they can make it a family affair, get Kate and maybe even Oliver Hudson out there, and have her re-unite with Kurt Russell on-screen.
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